As we enjoy the green grass, the strong Devon and commercial calves, and start to plan for our 2016 breeding season, we agree with Kit Pharo’s words, here. Our breeding choices in the next 3 weeks affect our lives for years to come. What an exciting time!

“It is becoming more and more evident that we are entering a new era in beef production. We are at a major tipping point. What has worked so well for the last 50 years will NOT work for the next 50 years. This excites me! It will provide some with an opportunity to increase profitability – even with much lower calf prices. Although all cow-calf producers have the same opportunity to achieve long-term success, most won’t change a thing until they are forced to. Please remember… your success, or lack thereof, will be a matter of choice – NOT luck! It will be up to YOU!” Kit Pharo

Way back in the beginning we purchased many units of the original Rotokawa Devon semen, imported by Bakewell Reproductive Center before 2007. With some wonderful males and females in our herd representing each of these magnificent bulls, we have decided to let some of these straws go to others who might want to incorporate some of the ORIGINAL ROTOKAWA DEVON BULLS into their own herds.

LIMITED SUPPLY- FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.

Rotokawa 861- 40 units available, $55 each.

Rotokawa 667/95- 11 units available, $65 each. We like every one of our 667 offspring. Moderate framed, long bodied, great feet.

This semen is stored in Montana. Contact us at 406-685-3248, or saboranch1@gmail.com, with queries or to place your order. Payment by check for semen can be sent directly to SABO RANCH, P.O.Box 65, Harrison, MT 59735. Once the semen is purchased, we’ll put you in contact with the shipper so you can find out your costs to ship the semen to your farm.

“He has really grown out since you seen him, after servicing the cows last year I put him on the scales and he weighed in at 1110kilos. If you want to look up his revised Breedplan figures on the NZ website his herd number is 170711867. He is now a trait leader for 200 day weight. His calves are some of the best I have ever bred.” Graeme Dyk April 2016

Jan. 2015 News from Graeme Dyk, Oban’s breeder in New Zealand.“You wouldn’t pick Oban as the same bull (from when we saw him in January 2015). He has really filled out and beefed up and when I weighed him last he was 1055 kilograms with still growing to do. Once again last calving, no calves pulled or cows assisted and his calves weighing from 35-45 kilo. Most in the 38-42 kilo range. His calves really stand out in the paddock amongst the rest.” October 2015

TE MAEWA OBAN 867/11 (see pedigree below)

Oban, January 2015This past winter, in January and February, 2015, Mark and I and our 2 boys were pleased to tour numerous Australian and New Zealand Devon studs. Lots of terrific bulls, and we are importing some of them– to be available in the US and Canada! TE MAEWA OBAN has arrived! If all goes well, we’ll also be selling Tapuwae, and VixDevons semen before long, tested for sale in both Canada and the U.S.

Graeme Dyk’s Te Maewa Devon stud is a beautiful farm in the central north island of New Zealand. Steep is not the word- many pastures would qualify as “precipitous”! Yes, Te Maewa’s Devons thrive here, scaling the paddocks, putting on pounds, and producing beautiful, deep bodied Devons with strength, gourmet quality beef, and fertility all in one package.

Two Te Maewa Devon lactating cows. Demonstrating how to keep on weight in steep paddocks, and the beautiful conformation that is consistent in the Te Maewa herd.

Another beautiful Te Maewa cow, showing off the udders which we have selected with Te Maewa Oban’s genetics.

Graeme, with four-wheeler and dog at the right, gathers heifers out of a paddock. Incredible country, and the Devons move about like goats!

Having just tagged and weighed the calf, Graeme and the mother cow chat about its virtues. Graeme keeps ONLY the calm cows!

“The Stud, 120 purebred registered cows still mainly based on Rotokawa genetics, is run as a commercial operation, no pampering, indoor stalls or hard feed etc. All heifers are expected to calve unassisted as two year olds. Birth and performance recording with Breedplan are undertaken and all young stock are carcass scanned and blood tested BVD negative.”

“Cattle are run in management groups to ensure cow breeding values are assessed correctly. The less efficient cows are culled to the works every year, the motto being (Breed with the Best and Cull the Rest). Cows are retired for age at fourteen years if still in the herd. Herd T.B Status is C10.”

“Calving percentages of 100% have been achieved several years but is normally around 96-97%. Calves are weighed, tagged and recorded in the paddock as soon as they are seen and at three or four days old are debudded if needed and shifted further afield with mum to more tree sheltered paddocks. The top weaning weights achieved to date for bull calves is 360kg @ 224 days and heifers 316kg @ 258 days. Winter supplements (hay and baleage) is given to calving cows to enable the feeding of magnesium oxide at a rate of 1 standard bale to 10 cows per day , and older bulls on crop to give them roughage. All young stock fend for themselves mixed in amongst sheep.”